


The New Kid

by Beshrew_My_Very_Heart



Series: Across the Universe Bingo! [2]
Category: Glee
Genre: Alternate Universe, Episode: s02e01 Audition, M/M, Nobody has ever met Kurt Hummel, Sam Evans has always been a member of the Glee Club
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 23:36:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29908800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beshrew_My_Very_Heart/pseuds/Beshrew_My_Very_Heart
Summary: Sam Evans is returning for his Sophomore Year at McKinley High, ready to put in the work to make sure the Glee Club makes it to Nationals this year. His sometime rival/sometime friend, Finn Hudson has been missing all summer however, and has returned with a surprise.
Relationships: Sam Evans/Kurt Hummel
Series: Across the Universe Bingo! [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2149485
Comments: 8
Kudos: 25
Collections: Across the Universe Bingo





	The New Kid

**Author's Note:**

> So, this was written for the Across the Universe Bingo; specifically the Strangers AU!

“Okay, hold the phone, what is this whole situation,” Santana’s voice was full of glee as she entered the choir room and sat next to Sam, her hands waving emphatically around his head. “Are you trying to signal ships that it’s dangerous to approach?” 

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Sam muttered, reaching up to nervously straighten his hair with his fingers, “I’ve always been blonde.” 

“Yeah, you’ve always been like... sandy blonde. Dirty blonde. Not this peroxide nightmare,” she dropped her hands to her side and leant back, “You look like a surfer. You dyed your hair, and you look like you’re going to ask us if we want to go hang ten at the juice bar.” 

“I didn’t dye my hair,” Sam said quickly, glancing around the empty choir room, “Shut up! I just... spent a lot of time outside this summer. Stacy and Stevie—” 

“Oh, don’t even bother blaming your brother and sister,” Santana scoffed, leaning back, “yeah, sure. I mean, it’s a long walk from your house all the way to the salon.”

“You really want to get into an argument over who changed the most over the summer,” Sam narrowed his eyes, “because I think I’m gonna come out on top.” 

“You’ve been looking,” she winked, shimmying her shoulders a little as she let her jacket fall off her arms and land on the back of her chair, “I thought we tried this out, Evans. I’m too much woman for you.” 

“You’re too much something, sure,” Sam grinned and shuffled in his seat as Tina and Mercedes entered, before turning back to her, “Does it look alright?” 

She rolled her eyes, “God, yes. You really are the neediest guy I ever dated.” 

The conversation swung back towards Tina and her new relationship with Mike fairly quickly, and Sam made a concerted effort not to mess with his hair and draw attention to it as more members of the New Directions filtered into the room. Rachel was one of the last ones in, and Sam tilted his head curiously as he looked at her, “Weren’t you wearing something totally different when you came in this morning?” He asked, and watched her bristle in frustration.

“Yes, I was. Jacob was hounding me in the hallways with conspiracy theories and insults, when one of your football friends assaulted me with a slushy,” She huffed, flicking her hair out of her face. “I’d have thought getting to regionals last year would have bought us a little respect—” 

“Well that was a pipe dream,” Santana snorted, “We’re all losers here, Berry. Some of us are just bigger losers than others.” 

“They usually don’t bother you when Finn’s around though,” Tina offered quietly, and then paused, glancing around the room. “Where is he?” 

“I don’t know,” Rachel muttered, moving to collapse into the seat next to Puck.

“I haven’t seen him either,” Puck said, his eyes narrowing in concern, “He’s been MIA all summer. Nobody at the house either.”

“Matt and Finn ran away together,” Brittany offered with a confident nod. “It’s very romantic.” 

“They didn’t run away together,” Rachel spun around to glare at her, “Finn was in New York for the summer. He has a family member who is very sick, and his mom went to support them.” 

“I hope he’s doing alright,” Mike said quietly, and Sam nodded in agreement. Even if he often found himself in competition with Finn for... pretty much everything, losing a family member was rough.

“Has anyone tried texting him?” Artie asked, and Sam watched as a half the people in the room pulled out their phones. Artie scoffed, as everyone’s fingers started tapping away, “I mean, don’t bombard the guy.”

“It’s fine, I’m here,” Finn’s voice came from the doorway, and Sam glanced up to catch sight of the other teen. He didn’t look particularly devastated or haunted, but there was definitely a frustration on his face that wasn’t aimed at anyone in particular. “Why’re we talking about me? I mean, Sam totally dyed his hair over the summer. Why aren’t we talking about that?” 

“Way to throw me under the bus,” Sam snorted, immediately reaching up to straighten his fringe, “You’re the last one here, dude. We were just worried.” 

“Yeah, well...” His eyes jumped to his phone, “My uncle’s fine, and I’m back at school.” He looked up, “Where’s Mr. Shuester? Shouldn’t we be singing or something?”

“You look stressed,” Artie’s eyes narrowed, “You wanna talk about it?” 

“I’m not allowed to,” Finn huffed, crossing the room to collapse into the seat next to Rachel, “Just... my mom met this guy in New York. They fell in love, and now I’m sharing the house with him and his son. So, yeah, I’m stressed.” 

Rachel reached out to take his hand and squeezed it gently, and any of the other questions were cut off by Mr. Shuester arriving to start Glee Club properly. Sam watched Finn’s face turn a strange shade of red as Mr. Shuester pointed out their need for a twelfth member. Rachel seemed unaware as she joined Mr. Shuester’s announcement on needing more members to beat vocal adrenaline, and there was an awkward pause after she finished where everyone turned to Finn expecting him to back her up.

“I mean, we’ve got a while before Sectionals, right?” He muttered, looking down and shuffling his feet. “We don’t need to rush out and grab the first freshman or new person we see.” 

“That’s not the point. These first few weeks are formative in deciding what your year is going to be like. We want to try and catch the next Brittany or Mike before they join the Cheerios. We want to be there for the quiet kid who has a song in their heart—” Rachel’s voice was rising to a crescendo, and Finn was sinking into his hoodie more and more as Mr. Shuester spoke up.

“You’re gonna have to trust me on this, guys. Now, here’s the plan.” Mr. Shuester’s eyes moved from Finn to the other people in the room, “Nationals are in New York this year. And we are going!”

Sam’s eyes darted to Finn again, who suddenly looked like the blood was draining out of his face, and was looking at Mr. Shuester with his mouth agape as everyone else started to whisper about the chance to visit New York. I mean, sure it wouldn’t be as big of a deal to him as everyone else but... the dude’s reactions were all over the place today.

“Now, let’s get out there and show the school how cool it’s gonna be, how cool we can be.” Mr Shuester was picking up steam now, and it was hard not to get swept up in it. “If they’re not going to come to us, let’s go to them. They say we only sing show tunes and ‘80’s pop. Let’s show them how down we are. Let’s give them the song of the year, New Directions style.”

Sam joined in with the cheering, even if he tried not to snort at Mr. Shuesters weird b-boy pose.

* * *

_“In New York_

_Concrete jungle where dreams are made of_

_There's nothing you can't do—”_

Sam had to re-orientate himself in the middle of his dance after Finn didn’t cross with him, and he almost shot him a glare until he noticed the strangely surprised look on his face. He couldn’t see his eyes under the sunglasses, but his smirk had drifted into a look of mild horror, and Sam turned his head in the general direction, and almost immediately forgot how to move beyond swaying his hips in time with the music. 

The guy watching them looked entirely unimpressed, but also vaguely amused. He was wearing his own sunglasses and had turned away from the table he was sat at to watch them, one long, lean leg crossed over the other as he tapped at a book next to him with a pencil. He looked... I mean, no guy their age had any right to look that... pretty felt demeaning, but handsome wasn’t right either. His skin looked flawless, and his hair was artfully styled up, and his clothes looked like he’d walked out of some fashion magazine somewhere.

Sam had to look away as they went into more of the choreographed movement, and managed to just about pull it off without tripping over Mike or Quinn’s feet. When they came to a stop in their poses, he tried not to be too crushed by the deafening lack of interest in the pretty cool show they’d just put on for everyone. But as the other’s looked around absently, his eyes went back to the table the guy had been sat at.

The brown haired boy glanced back in his direction, slipping off his sunglasses and folding them neatly as he stood up. Sam found himself standing without really thinking about it, and was another two steps away before Finn grabbed at his pocket chain. “Dude, we should get changed before—” 

“Yeah, yeah,” Sam said absently, waving him off, “I’ll be there.” 

He managed to escape without more questions, and followed the other guy through the crowd to the doors into the school. He gained on him quickly, but slowed a dozen or so feet away. 

If anything the slowing seemed to get the other guy’s attention more, and he slowed to a stop, turning to look at him with a very guarded expression. “I wondered what was jingling after me.” He said, and Sam’s heart kicked up a notch or two hearing the high, musical lilt

“Hard to be quiet with so many chains,” He said, with a nervous laugh, “Uh, hi. Sam. Is me. My name.” 

“Hello, Sam-is-me.” A smile tugged at the corner of the other boy’s lips and he tilted his head. “Do you chase many boys through the hallway?” 

“No, sorry, I didn’t mean to—” Sam glanced around, suddenly aware of how it appeared, and took a couple of steps closer, “Sorry, I didn’t mean to freak you out.” 

“I don’t freak out easy,” the other boy smiled, and offered a hand, “Kurt. Kurt Hummel.” 

“Hey, Sam Evans,” He shook the hand and then immediately winced, “I already introduced myself.” 

“Well, repetition is good for important information,” Kurt shifted his weight over one of his legs, cocking his head, “You’re a good singer, Sam Evans.”

“Uh, thanks,” Sam felt his cheeks getting redder, and he reached up to run at the back of his neck bashfully, “I mean, the Glee Club is full of great singers.” 

“It was a very good performance, although... there was only one boy who caught my full attention.” Kurt shrugged, and Sam blinked as the words parsed through his mind. That was definitely flirting. He wasn’t making that up in his head. “Although, as cute as this costume is, I imagine you’d be more comfortable in your actual clothes, rather than following me to my French class.” 

“I mean, they’re not _uncomfortable_ ,” Sam said, tugging on the hem of his shirt for half a second, “I just... you seemed like you liked the music. Do you sing?”

“That seems like a very pointed question,” Kurt raised an eyebrow, straightening his posture, “Why do you ask?”

“Well, the Glee Club is looking for new members. I just thought... I mean, everyone gets in.” Sam watched as the smile slipped from the other guys face, “or not?” 

“Sam, you seem like a very nice, very handsome boy, and I hope this doesn’t come across as unnecessarily mean,” Kurt shook his head, “I know for a fact I’m a better singer than pretty much everyone I just saw.”

“Oh...” Sam frowned too, straightening up, “I mean, isn’t that a better reason to try out? Do something you’re great at?” 

“That was rude, I’m sorry” Kurt sighed, “I also couldn’t commit to be here by the times you go to Nationals, Mr. Evans. It would be unfair of me to join and become an integral part of the team, and then drop out before a competition.” 

“You’re not staying in Lima?”

“Not if I have my way,” Kurt shrugged, “You’re very cute, Sam. Don’t be a stranger if you see me in the halls.” He reached out and gently pet Sam’s arm, before spinning on his heels and vanishing into the crowds. Sam reached up to touch the spot he had touched, and was still smiling when he heard the bell go off, and he had to run to his next class still in his costume.

* * *

The rest of the day, and in fact most of the next one was kind of a let down. Sam glanced at the Glee sign-up sheet at the start of the morning, but unless ‘Kurt Hummel’ was just a clever disguise for the unfortunate named ‘Buttface McBallNuts’, then the guy hadn’t changed his mind about Glee Club. What was worse was that Sam hadn’t had the chance to see him in the hallway either, just overhear the curious whispers that were beginning to circle.

He was in the middle of swapping his books at his locker when the metal door slammed shut, and Santana leaned into view with a wide, evil looking smile. “Good, you’re already wearing it.” 

“Uh—” He glanced down at himself, “My letterman?” 

“Yes, Sam,” she exaggeratedly rolled her eyes and leaned into his personal space to straighten it. “I need your help.” 

“Yeah, you only flirt with me for my help when it’s something terrible,” He took a half-step back, “So, I’m going to say no.” 

“It’s not terrible, it’s necessary.” Santana glanced around and then pulled a folded piece of paper out from her pocket, slapping Sam’s chest with it. “Coach Sylvester is super pissed because I had... y’know?” She made a vague gesture towards her chest and Sam pointedly didn’t look even if she was trying to draw attention to them, “and if I want to stay in her good graces, I have to convince this guy to join the Cheerios. So, I need some eye candy—” she gestured to him, “—from the football team to show him what exactly he’d be cheering for.” 

“Thank you?” He blinked in confusion, reaching for the paper, but she pulled it back. “Who is it?”

“Does it matter?” She waved the paper around absently, “He was on the cheerleading team where he came from, and now Sue wants him. I don’t ask questions, I get results.” 

“Why me though?” 

“I mean, it’s not going to be Finnocence, is it?” She snorted, slipping the paper back into her pocket, “and Chang is hot, but it’s more of a slow-burn hot. I could get Puckerman, but then I have to listen to him bitch about how ‘guy-Cheerios make it hard to keep his perfect record’ whatever that means.” 

“So, I’m the last option?” Sam frowned, crossing his arms defensively, “You really know how to charm a guy.” 

“No, you were the first one I thought of.” She sighed and gestured down the hall, “look, I have to get this done before lunch is over. I’ll soothe your ego when it’s not my captaincy on the line, alright?” 

Sam sighed but let himself be led through the hallways, keeping his head on a swivel in case he caught sight of Kurt again. He had no luck on that front, but it did keep him distracted enough that when Santana shoved him through a door, it took him a moment to realise he was in the guys locker room. He turned towards her ready to complain, when they both heard a voice echoing from deeper inside the room. 

_I'd sooner buy defying gravity_

_Kiss me goodbye, I'm defying gravity_

_I think I'll try defying gravity_

_And you won't bring me down_

“Isn’t that the song Berry murdered last year?” Santana whispered, tugging at his sleeve as they both turned towards the sound of the last few notes. “That was... that was good right?” 

“I mean, yeah?” Sam whispered, gesturing helplessly, “Dude sings super high.” 

“Okay, this totally just became a twin mission,” her face split into a delighted grin, “Step One; he joins the Cheerios. Step Two; he joins the Glee Club and I get to rub it in Berry’s face that I managed to get a twelfth member who can sing better than her.” 

The showers turned off, and Sam just about managed to catch Santana before she could barge in. “Give the guy a change to put some pants on at least.” 

“Urgh, fine,” She huffed, and stared at him impatiently until they heard the sound of a locker opening and closing. She held up both hands and ticked down the fingers one at a time, before twirling around and storming into the room. Sam was quick behind her, ready to defuse the situation, but as they turned the corner to the lockers, he felt his feet turn to leaden weights. Santana didn’t seem as hesitant, as she approached, “Hi! Kurt Hummel, right?”

“That’s correct,” Kurt replied, cinching his towel a little tighter around his waist but otherwise seeming entirely unphased that a cheerleader was moving towards him at speed, “I’m almost entirely sure that this is the men’s locker room too, just in case you are...” his voice trailed off as his eyes slipped over to Sam, and there was a beat before he glanced back to Santana, “lost.”

“Well, I found you, so I can’t be that lost.” Her smile was sickly sweet as she gestured towards Sam. “Sam and I are here with an offer.” 

“Ménage à trois are not my area of expertise, and I don’t think I’d be able to appreciate the entire audience,” Kurt said lightly, “But if you and your boyfriend need help finding a third—” 

“Oh, Sam’s not my boyfriend.” Santana waved dismissively, “He’s the quarterback of the football team.” 

“Oh, is he?” Kurt turned his attention toward Sam, looking him up and down, “Not to imply you’re a liar, but I was told the Quarterback was a little taller, and went by a very different name.” 

“I’m second string. I mean, I play other positions on the first string but Finn usually starts as QB,” Sam made a vague gesture and Kurt’s lips tugged up into a smile.

“Interesting,” Kurt turned back towards Santana and folded his arms, “You didn’t come in here just to introduce me to Sam, did you?” 

“No. So, I’m a member of the Cheerios—” 

“No, thank you.” Kurt rolled his eyes and turned towards his locker again. 

“You didn’t even hear what I was going to ask,” Santana said, her smile slipping away, “how can you turn down an offer you didn’t hear?”

“Because I have already heard it. A lovely blonde girl caught me between lessons and extolled the virtues of your cheerleading squad.” Kurt shrugged, “I wasn’t impressed.” 

“Well, I bet Quinn didn’t know that you used to be on the cheerleading team at your old school.” Santana snapped, and Sam took a step closer as he watched her frustration mounting. It wasn’t Kurt’s fault that Quinn had got there first, but he knew that Santana was really desperately looking for a win. He watched as she withdrew the paper and waved it at Kurt. “I know you were in the running for head cheerleader too.” 

“Wow, you know a lot about me,” Kurt rolled his eyes and then quick as a whip snatched the paper from Santana’s hand, opening it curiously and examining the pages. “Yes, this all looks to be in order. Someone went through the effort of covering my personal contact details, which is very kind of them, but you have my grades, my extracurriculars.” He considered it for a moment, “Do you want to know the real reason I’m not interested in being a ‘Cheerio’, Santana?” 

“... I never introduced myself,” Santana crossed her arms, but Sam could see the interest in her eyes.

“Quinn told me your name, and to expect you.” Kurt waved off her concern, “She even guessed you’d do it at lunch. You two must be close.” 

“We’re best friends,” Santana’s voice was sickly sweet with sarcasm, but when Kurt didn’t react she sighed and gestured to him, “come on, what’s the real reason? Because the Cheerios are the cream of the crop at this school.” 

“They might be, but I... have never been too interested in Cheerleading.” Kurt shrugged lightly, slipping down to sit on the bench, folding his legs neatly. “I didn’t really want to be a cheerleader at my old school, but...” he trailed off, glancing between them, “I can trust you, right?”

“Totally,” Santana sat down too, her eyes practically gleaming. 

“Well, I think a girl might get this more than anyone else,” Kurt sighed, and his eyes jumped to Sam, “and you seem like the sympathetic sort. So... the reason I first joined my school’s cheerleading team, was because... I had a crush.” Kurt leaned in closer, and Santana followed him, “He was the tight end, and he was gorgeous. Hair like shining copper, abs that you could eat off, and he... I mean, he wasn’t the smartest guy, but he was so earnest and sweet.” 

“It sounds like you really liked him.” Santana nodded, “But he didn’t notice you existed?” 

“Oh, no...” Kurt waved his hands and straightened up, “We... knew each other. In the biblical sense. The problem was that we had to keep it a secret. I joined the cheerleading team, because I thought... if we were both the most popular people in school, then by the time junior prom came around, we could maybe go... together.” Kurt smiled as his eyes drifted to the bench in front of them, “We even had friends who helped with the whole charade. He pretended to date his best friend, Elizabeth, so that nobody would suspect. And our other friend Forsythe, well, he used to cover for us so we could go out on dates. It was perfect.” 

Something about the names rubbed at the back of Sam’s mind, but Santana was hooked in the story, “So... what happened? Why are you here now?” 

“Well....” Kurt’s smile slipped, “A new girl came to town. She was... She is very rich, very beautiful, very...Well, Archie fell under her spell,” Kurt worried his lip for a moment, “I don’t blame him. She was the perfect girl, really. And then it turned out that Betty actually was in love with him, and the two of them started fighting over him. I... became an after thought. I mean, who am I to compete with Betty and Veronica?”

“Oh,” Sam let out a breath he didn’t realise he’d been holding, and Kurt’s eyes darted to him before a smile overpowered the look of sadness. 

“I really thought I’d get to throw out the name Jughead before either of you caught on.” He grinned, leaning back.

“What—” Santana glanced over her shoulder at Sam, “What?”

“It’s... he’s talking about the characters from Archie Comics.” Sam couldn’t help but smile as Kurt marked one up in the air for him. “I don’t think any of it was real.” 

“No, no, I should be honest. I have had crushes on football players in the past,” Kurt said lightly, “but unfortunately I haven’t dated any... or have I? Perhaps, unbeknownst to either of you, I’ve been in town for months. Maybe I’ve seduced one of the football players, and now I’m keeping a low profile so our cover doesn’t get blown. Is it the one with the Mohawk? Is it the bear? Or is it nobody at all.” 

“You’re just wasting our time,” Santana sighed, getting to her feet, “I’m not going to convince you about the Cheerios am I?”

“It very, very unlikely,” Kurt shrugged, standing himself in a graceful movement, “although you certainly had a better pitch than Quinn, let me say that much.” 

“Fine,” Santana glanced over her shoulder, “then you should join the Glee Club.” 

“Oh, this should be good,” Kurt shook his head, “you go ahead and start selling me on it, and I’ll work out what my next story will be.” 

“You can make up whatever lie you want, but the obvious truth is that you’re Capital G, covered in rhinestones and glitter, Gay.” Santana gestured, “You’re super obviously gay. I don’t get why you wouldn’t want the actual protection of Coach Sue for when people start harassing you about it, but you’re definitely going to want friends when that happens.” She gestured to Sam, “The Glee Club, and people like Sam here? They can be that. I mean, not me, I’m a stone cold bitch, but the others have hearts and stuff.” 

Kurt’s smile faded, and he glanced to Sam for half a moment before turning his attention towards her again. “Like I told Sam before, I don’t intend to be here long. You don’t know the first thing about me, Santana Lopez, and I don’t intend to change that. Now, unless you plan to stay and watch me dress? I think it’d be better for all of us if you both just moved along.” 

Sam nodded, and put a hand on Santana’s shoulder, “He’s right, we should go.” 

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t do offer,” Santana muttered, turning to dramatically storm out of the room. Sam gave it a beat before he turned to Kurt.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t know she was going to come and talk to you.”

Kurt’s smile seemed a little more genuine this time, if not as strong, “Well, It wasn’t the perfect way to run into you, but I do enjoy our meetings, Sam.”

Sam’s lips twitched into a smile for a moment, before he sighed, “She wasn’t lying about this school being... really not great for gay people. I know Santana said that if you joined Glee Club we’d look out for you, but... if you ever need to talk, or you need help? We’ll still totally help. I mean, pretty much all the dudes are on the football team, except Artie, so if someone is harassing you...” He trailed off, and awkwardly shoved his hand into his pockets.

Kurt hesitated, his eyes scanning Sam’s face for a moment before he nodded, “I appreciate that, and I’ll keep it in mind.” 

“You sounded really good.” Sam added, and couldn’t help but smile when Kurt grinned, “One of our team leaders sang that last year, but... I think you sang it better.”

“No-one could ever say you’re not charming,” Kurt sighed, “I do actually have to get changed, and the offer to watch was made in jest. I’ll see you later, Sam.” 

“Yeah,” Sam nodded again, but he couldn’t help but let his eyes flicker down Kurt’s body. He wasn’t built by any means but he had that gymnast thing going for him, and there wasn’t an inch of his skin that didn’t look soft and inviting and—

He turned around quickly, and moved towards the door as casually as he could, fastening the bottom buttons of his letterman and hoping they’d hide his sudden 'reaction'.

* * *

By the end of the week, they had exactly zero new members, and it turned out the one person who might have been interested had been sent to an ‘inactive’ crack house, and then chose to switch schools and join a team that didn’t send her to an ‘inactive’ crack house. Which was a totally reasonable thing to do on her part, but really sucked for the rest of them. Finn was still acting really weird and cagey, enough that Puck had invited himself to hang out with Mike instead of seeing Finn. 

There had been a few Kurt sightings, but nothing of real substance. Just greetings in passing, in a quiet low voice that made Sam feel like his body was vibrating and would leave him smiling all the way to his next class. Or eye contact across the cafeteria that made Sam lose track of whatever conversation he was in the middle of. 

This wasn’t the first guy that Sam had thought was cute. That honor had to go to Leo, one of the older guys in his boy scout troop whilst he was growing up. But Kurt was the first guy who had flirted with him, and it was definitely having an effect.on Sam. He’d caught himself drifting off into daydreams more often than usual, and his mom and dad kept exchanging small grins when they caught him.

By the time Sunday came around, he just wanted to sleep in, and have a relaxing weekend before he had to wander back into the insanity of McKinley High. But bang on 7 AM, Stevie dropped onto his bed to beg him to make breakfast, and then Stacy was upset that one of her dolls accessories had rolled under her bed, so he had to lift the bed for her to wiggle underneath and get it, and then he was looking over his homework only to realise he’d read the question totally wrong and he was going to have to redo it—

He called out a sharp goodbye as he pulled on a hoodie at the door, not bothering to explain where he was going, and started running instead. Anything to get him out of the house. And when he told his family where he was later, it wasn’t like his brother and sister were going to complain that he didn’t invite them to go exercising. 

But the silence got boring quick, and Sam slowed to a stop at an intersection to catch his breath. He glanced at the signs and then shrugged to himself when he realised that Finn didn’t live far from here. Dude was probably bored as well if Puck was busy, and honestly, Sam kind of wanted to get to the bottom of whatever was wrong with him before it became a whole thing next week as well. 

He took a moment on the doorstep to straighten himself out, brushing his hair with his fingers before he knocked. There was some noise from within, before Ms. Hudson answered the door with a small smile, “Sam, Hi.” 

“Hi, Ms. Hudson,” Sam smiled, “I was wondering if Finn wanted to come for a run?” 

“He’s in the shower right now, but we’re having a late breakfast if you want to join us?” She gestured into the house.

“Thank you,” Sam stepped inside, and looked around. The space looked a little different. More men’s coats on the coat rack and things were somehow more cluttered and neater than the last time he was here to play video games and practice songs for Glee. He glanced back to Ms. Hudson, “Everyone in Glee was sorry to hear about Finn’s uncle being unwell.” 

“That’s sweet of you,” Ms. Hudson smiled warmly, “He’s doing a lot better now.”

Sam nodded and let her lead him towards the kitchen, where there was the faint sound of a radio playing something Sam didn’t quite recognise. There was a lot of food set out, though it looked as though some had already been eaten, and Sam’s eyes immediately drifted towards a figure that was sitting with his back to the door, barely more than some seriously messy bedhead peeking out of a pair of silky silver pyjamas, looking through some magazines. 

“Do we have time to go over the attic vs basement debate again?” A familiar voice asked, and Sam came to a complete stop. “If we get an attic that’ll doubtlessly end up being Finn’s space, but if we do end up with a basement, I want first pick. I’m not saying I definitely want it and then being stuck with clanging pipes—” 

“I’m sure we can talk about it,” Ms. Hudson was still smiling as she moved around the table. “Kurt, this is Sam. I’m sure you’ve met him at school.” 

There was a beat of silence, before the figure turned to look at Sam. Sam tried not to grin too obviously at the horrified look on Kurt’s face, “We’ve... run into each other a couple of times.”

“Good,” Ms. Hudson sat down again, and gestured to a seat, “Honestly, I think you two would get along. Sam was new at McKinley High last year, so he’d be able to teach you all the tips and tricks, right Sam?” 

“I need to go to my room.” Kurt stood up from the table quickly, and Sam quickly moved out of the way so that he could get past and rush towards the stairs. He watched Kurt climb a few steps and then freeze, glancing up and then back at Sam.

“Sorry about that,” Ms. Hudson said slowly, unable to see Kurt’s indecision from where she was sat, “Kurt’s a really good kid, he’s just having some trouble...adjusting.” 

“No, no, it’s fine, Ms. Hudson,” Sam shook his head, “I mean, I’m the one who showed up out of nowhere. He’s allowed to be surprised, and if he doesn’t want me here, I can totally head home. Or, just wait outside.”

“He’s a very private person,” Ms. Hudson agreed with a small smile, “and this has been a big adjustment for him. But, I’m never going to kick you out of my house, Sam.” 

Sam smiled and moved to one of the empty seats, and after a few more seconds, Kurt entered again, his hair straighter and chin held high. Ms. Hudson tilted her head curiously at him, as he quietly sat back down.

“I thought you had to go to your room?” 

“Well, I did, but then I remembered that Finn is in the shower.” Kurt shrugged lightly, reaching for a glass of orange juice. “I’m not supposed to be in his room when he’s in the shower.” 

“I never said that,” Ms. Hudson shook her head, “this is your home too.” 

“I appreciate that, Carole,” Kurt said, sipping his orange juice, “but it wasn’t you who asked for that rule. Finn thinks it’ll set healthy boundaries considering my sexuality if I’m not around him whilst he’s indecent.” He shrugged, and glanced towards Sam. “It is good to see you again, Sam.” 

“Same,” Sam nodded, trying not to look at the way that Ms. Hudson was clearly working though some thoughts. “I was just going to invite Finn on a run, you’re totally welcome to come too?” 

“Voluntarily exercising in public?” Kurt cocked an eyebrow, “I’ll pass. I’ve got my jazzercise videos.” 

“Kurt, you’re allowed in your room whenever you want to be in there.” Ms. Hudson finally spoke, standing up from the table. “Is that why you’ve been picking at your breakfast for so long?” 

“No,” Kurt said, but it sounded more like a question than a statement. “Look, I understand that I’m the one being difficult and getting in the way of my dad’s and your budding romance. I’m not going to add to that by getting into an argument with your son. Soon enough, I’ll have my own room, and soon after that—” Kurt paused, and his eyes glanced to Sam, “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be airing grievances in front of guests. I’m going to go and finish my juice out back.” He picked up the glass and quickly let himself out of the backdoor. 

Carole sighed, and looked to Sam. “I’m going to go have a word with Finn. I don’t know if he’ll be in the mood for a run afterwards.” 

“No offence, Ms. Hudson,” Sam said quietly, his eyes tracking Kurt who had moved to lean against the fence at the back of the garden and was staring at the sky like the brightness was insulting to him, “but if anything, going for a run might be exactly what he needs to do after. I mean, I’d rather he yell at me about Kurt than yell at Kurt about Kurt, y’know?” 

Ms. Hudson frowned, but nodded after a moment, moving quickly up the stairs. Sam pretended not to hear the raised voices, instead helping himself to some of the food like Ms. Hudson had suggested. The shouting quieted for a moment, and then grew in intensity, and Sam was halfway through shoving the sausage sandwich he had made in his mouth when his eyes darted to where Kurt was watching him with a small grin. He blushed and turned away, chewing a little more thoroughly before moving to the base of the stairs. 

Finn didn’t take long to come downstairs in sweatpants and a t-shirt, hair still damp, and he barely acknowledged Sam as he shoved some trainers on and slammed his way out of the house. Sam shot one last look towards the kitchen, before following him outside, having to jog to catch up.

Finn didn’t slow down until he was at the end of his street, stretching his legs out for a moment with one hand on the signpost there. Sam coughed politely, and Finn looked at him finally. “Kurt... seems nice?” 

“Well he’s not,” Finn snapped back, “He’s a snitch.” 

“I mean, I don’t think that’s fair,” Sam muttered, and Finn shot him a dirty look before he took off again. It wasn’t too hard to match his pace, and Sam didn’t try again until they were a fair distance from Finn’s home. “What did you expect him to do?” 

“I just don’t get what the big deal is!” Finn snapped, coming to a complete stop and turning to face Sam. “If I was a girl, everyone would be saying that I was right to tell a dude not to be in my room when I was showering.” 

“If you were a girl, you probably wouldn’t be sharing a room with a guy,” Sam pointed out, which only seemed to annoy Finn more. 

“Exactly! I shouldn’t be asked to share my room with a gay guy. What if he’s watching me change?” 

Sam made himself take a deep breath before he even started working out how to answer that, but it wasn’t enough to push down the wave of frustration and sharp hurt. “You get changed in the locker room with me.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Finn rolled his eyes, starting to turn away, “Is this going to be a lecture about how straight dudes, and gay dudes are basically the same? Because I get it—” 

“No, I’m saying, you share a locker room with me a few times a week, and I’m not straight.” Sam shoved his hands into his hoodie pockets, so that Finn couldn’t see how tight he was clenching his fists. 

“You...” Finn froze, and turned to look at Sam with wide eyes, “You’re gay?” 

“No,” Sam looked towards the ground almost immediately, “I mean, I like guys and I like girls. So... I guess I’m bi.” 

Finn nodded slowly, and Sam could almost hear the gears turning in his head. He didn’t interrupt, letting Finn shift his worldview a little on his own time. Finally, Finn’s feet started to shift, and Sam glanced back up to see the uncomfortable look on his face. “Are you... into me?” 

“Yeah.” 

Finn’s eyes almost bugged out of his head, “What?”

“I’m totally into you. I’ve been in love with you all year, Finn. I mean, I’ve been boned up since we left your house,” Sam continued casually, and watched as Finn’s eyes immediately darted to his crotch, and then back to his face. Sam couldn’t help but snort at that, “No, Finn, I’m not _in love with you_ , and I’m not hiding boners when you walk into a room. Come on, man.” 

“I don’t know!” Finn insisted, shoving his hands in his pockets, “It’s a lot.”

“Not really,” Sam shrugged, “You’ve known me a year, and it’s never been a problem, has it?”

“I mean, I guess not, but like... Have you been checking me out?” Finn glanced around as though he was worried someone would over hear. “Like, I won’t get mad, I just... I feel like I should know.” 

“Really?” Sam rolled his eyes, “Dude, I’m in those locker rooms with you and Puck. I know the stuff you say about girls. I mean, dude, I was in the celibacy club with you last year when you were bragging about sleeping with Quinn. I bet she didn’t know about that.” He watched as Finn’s shoulders sunk, “I’ve not done anything creepy. Have I looked at you and thought, hey, that’s a good looking dude who can be really cool when he’s not being a dickweed? Sure. That’s nowhere near on the same level as the conversations I’ve heard about Brittany and Santana because people think I’m one of their straight bros.”

“But why did you hide it?” 

“I mean, why is it any of your business?” Sam shrugged, “I don’t want to date you, dude. I mean, I think Quinn has some kind of idea, cause she’s made a few comments. And Puck and Santana, it’s hard to tell if they’re just making jokes cause they suck or if they’re making jokes cause they know something. But I’m not exactly out there spreading the news to people who... it doesn’t matter to.” 

Finn considered for a long moment, and then nodded quietly, “I mean... I kind of feel bad about the ballad thing last year, now.”

“Why?” Sam blinked, folding his arms, “I was an awesome partner.”

“Yeah, but you’d have been into if I sang something to you, but everyone laughed when I pulled your name, and then you suggested I sing to the sonogram instead...” 

“Hey, those were my choices,” Sam shrugged, “Would it be cool to have someone who wanted to sing some big romantic song for me? Sure. But you wouldn’t want to do that.” 

“You’re right but...” Finn moved a little closer, and put a hand on Sam’s arm, “I’m sorry I wasn’t the kind of dude that you thought you could tell about this stuff.”

“I’m fine,” Sam shook his head, “but seriously? Lay off Kurt. I don’t know much about him, but he moved all the way here from New York, right?” Finn shrugged, “Has he made any friends?”

“No, that’s half the problem, dude. He’s always just... there.” Finn huffed, “And when people find out I’m sharing a bedroom with a gay dude—” 

“He’s not told anyone you’re sharing a house. He’s not got any friends, or anyone to talk to.” Sam shrugged, “Where do you expect him to go, dude?” 

Finn muttered something unintelligible, and made as if to start to jogging again, before he paused and looked back to Sam. “I won’t tell anyone. About... you know?” 

“I appreciate that,” Sam sighed, and gestured, “Come on. I came out here to get work out, not gossip.”

* * *

“Sam. Can I talk to you?” 

Sam blinked, almost tripping over his feet at the sound of Kurt’s voice, but managing to stop himself from overbalancing. For a moment, he swore the voice came from the dumpsters outside the school, and that made him very concerned, but he quickly caught sight of Kurt leaning against the wall further down, a pair of dark sunglasses covering his eyes. 

“Yeah, sure.” Sam quickly jogged over, smiling brightly. “Are you going for the secret agent look today?” 

Kurt nudged the glasses down his nose dramatically, looking Sam over. “This is less ‘secret agent’, more: socialite who is avoiding the paparazzi. You had quite the eventful day yesterday.” 

“I dunno, I’ve had worse.” Sam shrugged, shuffling a little, “You doing okay?”

“I always am,” Kurt reset his glasses and straightened up, “I wanted to ascertain your intent today.” 

“My intent?”

“With the information you received.” Kurt sighed, “About my living situation?” 

“Oh...” Sam blinked, “I mean, I don’t really... have an intent?”

“Then, I’d like to request that you keep the information to yourself,” Kurt glanced around, making sure no-one was close enough to hear before adding, “as unlikely as it might sound, Finn and I are managing to co-habitate relatively well at the moment. But I don’t want to imagine how that might change if people discover the situation.”

“If you ask me not to tell anyone, I won’t say anything,” Sam watched some of the tension drift out of Kurt’s shoulders, “I just don’t get it.” 

“What don’t you get?” Kurt tilted his head, “I think it’s relatively straight forward.” 

“I mean, I don’t know enough about you and your dad, but Ms. Hudson wouldn’t stand for Finn being awful to you,” Sam shrugged, “Wouldn’t that make it easier for you to get back to New York?” 

“Oh, I won’t be returning to New York,” Kurt huffed, “My dad has taken over his old family business again. We’re stuck in Ohio. And, as much as I think they rushed into all of this, my dad does love Carole. So, my hope is that I’ll transfer to this charming all boy’s school out in Westerville. It has boarding facilities, and a no tolerance bullying policy.” 

“Oh.” Sam blinked, “I guess I just assumed...” 

“That was the point.” Kurt shrugged, “I’m keeping myself to myself, until I can leave. I’ve got a wonderful chance to reinvent myself, to decide what everyone is saying about me for a while. And to do that, I need to have complete control of the narrative. I can’t be Finn’s gay roommate, or the new Glee Club member. I’m a man of mystery. The snappy dresser from New York, who doesn’t care.” 

“I guess...” Sam slipped his hands into his pocket. “Sounds lonely though. The man of mystery doesn’t tend to have a lot of friends.” 

“Well, that’s the cost.” Kurt looked conflicted for a moment before he smiled, “I seem to be getting along pretty well with you.” 

“Well, I’m really charming and stuff,” Sam grinned, “but, y’know, if this is the reboot, you’ve got to know the source material right?” 

“I don’t understand what you’re implying.” Kurt looked at him curiously, “Do you think I’m trying to forget New York?” 

“No, but... I’d love to hear about it.” Sam shrugged, “Maybe over dinner? Tonight? There’s this Italian-ish place? Breadstix. I mean, it’s kind of where all the people in school go for....” He trailed off, not sure if he should drop the word Date in there. “No pressure.” 

“I...” Kurt hesitated, his cheeks turning a little red. “I mean... Sure. That’d be nice.” 

“Cool.” Sam grinned, and gestured toward the school, “I mean, the man of mystery still has to get to class on time, right?” 

“If he wants to fulfil his other obligations, he needs to not get detention,” Kurt’s eyes were inscrutable behind the sunglasses, but he definitely hesitated before he rushed away. 

* * *

He really should have tried to use the word Date, Sam had decided as he sat in the booth at Breadstix. Because he was sitting here in the nice button-up his mom had got him last christmas for church, wearing a freaking tie and pants too, and all he could imagine was Kurt walking in in the same thing that he wore to school and explaining that they were just supposed to be spending time together as friends.

Every time the door had opened, Sam’s head had snapped to look at it, and this time was no different. Except this time, it wasn’t some couple out on a date. This time, Kurt Hummel was looking around nervously, in a pair of very tight black pants, and a patterned shirt. Sam immediately jumped to his feet, and Kurt’s eyes snapped to him, the look of concern melting into relief as he quickly made his way over. 

“Hi,” he said quietly, as he approached the table, “I hope I’m not late?”

“No, not at all,” Sam quickly assured, “I just wanted to make sure we got a nice table. Hi.” 

"I'm glad that I didn't entirely exagerate the dresscode in my mind," Kurt's smile was nervous, but somehow more honest than most of the ones Sam had seen so far, "You certainly shape up well, Mr. Evans." 

"Thanks," Sam grinned, his eyes turning towards the floor as he tried not to stare too much, "You look great. I mean, you always look great but—" 

"You can say that after seeing me in my pyjamas?" Kurt cocked an eyebrow, "because I have to say that wasn't my highest fashion moment." 

"I thought they were cute. You definitely pulled them off." Kurt's cheeks turned a little red, and Sam hesitated before he gestured, "Do you want something to drink? Some breadsticks while you decide?"

"Maybe some water for the table?" Kurt suggested, and Sam busied himself in getting that sorted out whilst Kurt glanced over the menu quickly. When the waitress came back they both ordered, and Sam watched Kurt pour some water for himself, as he tried desperately to think of a new conversation topic. "So," Kurt cut off his consideration of if what's your favourite movie was super lame or super invasive, "You wanted to hear about New York?" 

"Well, I mean, if you want to tell me anything." Sam took the jug of water and focused as hard as he could on not embarrassing himself, "I mean, I want to hear whatever you want to tell me." 

Kurt tilted his head and then sipped his water before nodding, "I'll be entirely honest, McKinley isn't quite as terrible as we thought it'd be. I mean, it's not great, but there are some redeeming features." 

Sam nodded his head quietly, "It's fine? Like, I was totally going to be sent to this all-boys school last year? But then we ended up moving to Lima, so... It just was what it was, you know?" Kurt nodded, and Sam drank a little water before he asked, "We?"

"Hm?" Kurt looked confused, frowning gently as he looked at Sam.

"You said it wasn't as terrible as 'we' thought it'd be." Sam shrugged, "I assumed you weren't talking about Finn."

"No, my friends back in New York." Kurt shook his head, smiling to himself absently, "I should warn you, they're waiting up to hear about how this went." 

"You've told them about me?" Sam leant forward curiously, watching the way that Kurt blushed.

"All good things. They think you're very handsome." Kurt looked up through his eyelashes, "I didn't disagree." 

"Well, that's a good feeling." Sam grinned, feeling his face get hot too.

Kurt took another drink, "I had to give them a good reason I wasn't available to gossip about cheerleading tryouts." 

"So you were a cheerleader?"

"I was," Kurt acknowledged, "I mean, I wasn't anywhere close to Head Cheerleader, no matter what Santana and Quinn seem to think. I mean maybe in a couple of years. I was happy to just spend time with my friends. Katie and Jack, I'd known them for years." His smile faltered a little, as he quietly admitted, "I miss them." 

"It's hard when your friends can't be with you," Sam reached across and gently touched Kurt's hand, "but I bet they'd want you to make friends here too." 

"Oh, no, Jack just wants to mock me about my continued, painfully cliched interest in football players," Kurt laughed, shaking his head, "he's very much in favor of me staying at McKinley, since Dalton doesn't have a football team." 

"So that's one point for us." 

Kurt grinned, slipping his hand from under Sam's so he could pat his arm lightly, "Two." 

"I'm not going to try and guess what the second point is, because I'm gonna look dumb or way too confident." Sam chuckled, not moving away from the contact. “I mean, I guess one of those points would want to be around even if you were at another school? Although Rachel might murder me for hanging out with the enemy.” 

“It’d have to be an illicit romance.” Kurt hummed thoughtfully, and then hesitated, “I mean... I’m sorry, that was a little presumptuous.” 

“No, please, presumpt away,” Sam said quickly, “I mean I think it’s pretty clear that I’m totally...” He glanced around and then leant in to add quietly, “Like, totally into you.” 

Kurt’s smile returned, and it was almost blindingly bright. “Okay then. And, I hope it won’t come as a surprise that you are definitely the second point in McKinley’s favor.” 

“Cool,” Sam nodded, trying not to shift happily at the warm feeling that settled in his chest. “So, uh, your friends? You said Jack wants you to stay at McKinley... so Katie is a Dalton fan?” 

“Well, there’s something to say about guys in blazers and ties, Katie and I agree on that,” Kurt’s eyes darted to Sam’s tie, “and they have a very impressive show choir, one where I wouldn’t find myself competing with girls for the parts I want.” 

“That makes sense,” Sam considered, “but... I mean, this might sound dumb, but if they don’t have girls trying out for those parts... are you sure they’ll have those parts? Like, I dunno, supply and demand?” 

Kurt tilted his head curiously, “That’s a very good point.” 

“I mean, I might be way off base,” Sam shrugged, “I guess I’m in favor of you being at McKinley too.” 

“For entirely altruistic reasons?”

“No, they’re totally selfish.” Sam admitted, “but we have a glee club too. We got to regionals last year, and we do all different kinds of songs.” 

“Well, Mr. Ambassador,” Kurt sighed, “how do you suggest I deal with the Finn of it all?”

“He’ll deal with it,” Sam shook his head, “I mean, you can’t live your life for other people.” Their conversation came to a pause as the food arrived at the table, and Sam waited until they’d both eaten a little before he added, “You should think about it. Finn’s not going to be able to hide you forever. I mean, I showed up to go running, but his best friend is a huge gossip and his girlfriend is even worse. You want to control your... narrative, or whatever, right?” 

Kurt nodded, shifting his pasta around with his fork. “I do.” 

“Then audition for Glee Club before people know who you are. That way everyone knows how talented you are before they know anything about him.” Sam watched Kurt consider it for a moment, before he shrugged, “Alright, I’m dropping the ambassador thing now. You mind if I start in on the dorky date questions? Like... what’s your favourite movie?”

“Oh, Moulin Rouge, definitely.” Kurt said with no hesitation, “You?” 

“Avatar,” Sam grinned, “Your go.” 

“I mean, I’ll ask the question that’s been obsessing me for over a week,” Kurt leant forward conspiratorially. “What possessed you to to dye your hair like that?”

Sam immediately reached up to straighten it, “I just wanted to look cool? That sounds kind of lame, doesn’t it.” 

“Not at all,” Kurt shook his head, leaning forward to rest his chin on his hand as he smiled warmly, “but something tells me you looked just as cool before.”

* * *

“Alright everybody, I’ve had a really great idea for this week’s lesson, but first...” Mr. Shuester announced as he entered, and Sam immediately looked up from the pictures Mercedes was showing him. “I’d like to introduce you all to our prospective twelfth member; Kurt Hummel!”

Sam couldn’t help but grin as Kurt strode into the room, his messenger bag slapping against his thigh as he took center stage amidst the confused clapping. “Thank you, Mr. Shuester.” Kurt nodded to him and turned to everyone. “Good afternoon, I’m Kurt Hummel. I’m new to the school this year, and I’ve been told that I’d make a good addition to the team.” His eyes moved to Sam, and a smile tugged at his lips. “But, first I think I should put to rest any concerns about my abilities.” 

He took a collection of papers from his bag and approached the jazz band, who looked amazed to be handed sheet music for a song. Sam tried not to notice the daggers that Finn was shooting at Kurt’s back, as Kurt whispered to the band.

Returning to center stage, Kurt took a steadying breath, as Brad began to play the piano alongside the trumpet. 

_Well, some folks like to get away_

_Take a holiday from the neighborhood_

_Hop a flight to Miami beach or to Hollywood_

_But I'm takin' a greyhound_

_On the Hudson river line_

_I'm in a New York state of mind_

Sam watched as everyone leant forward, drawn into Kurt’s beautiful voice. Even with all the lights on, it was almost like Kurt was spotlighted in the attention, and even Rachel was smiling broadly. He could just lean back and enjoy the show, the proud smile tugging at his lips every time Kurt glanced his way.

_We don't have any reasons_

_We've left them all behind_

_I'm in a New York,_

_I'm in a New York state of_

_We're in a New York state of mind_

The applause as he finished was thunderous, and Kurt was almost blushing as he did a small curtsy. Mr. Shuester stepped forward to put a hand on Kurt’s shoulder, “I think that put any question of talent to bed, Kurt. Amazing job, we’re glad to have you with us.” 

“No way!” Finn jumped to his feet, “this isn’t fair.” 

“Finn!” Mr. Shuester looked shocked and concerned, and Sam found himself shifting forward ready to jump to his feet.

“We had a deal. I wouldn’t tell anyone about you, and you wouldn’t spy on us.” Finn moved towards Kurt, ignoring the mumbling around him.

“I’m not spying, Finn. I’m giving McKinley a fair chance,” Kurt huffed, folding his arms.

“Why? You want to go to Dalton.” Finn rolled his eyes, “We had a deal.” 

“I’m not the one breaking the deal, Finn.” Kurt’s eyes glanced around the room, “I’d have been perfectly fine joining the Glee Club and pretending we didn’t know each other. But you’ve sunk that plan very quickly.” 

Finn paused and glanced around at the curious faces in the audience, “Uh—” 

“Oh, this is wanky,” Santana murmured, “You’re all getting this, right?”

“You’re his...” Rachel made a vague gesture between them, clearly not sure what word to use, “brother?”

“Our parents aren’t married yet,” Kurt shrugged, “So, we share a house right now, and that’s about it. We had an agreement, that Finn didn’t want his teammates to know that he was sharing a house with a gay man, and since I was planning on leaving this school as soon as my dad was settled in enough to afford tuition at Dalton, I decided not to rock the boat.”

“What made you change your mind,” Quinn asked quietly, leaning forward curiously, “are you joining the Cheerios?” 

“Probably not. No offence but your coach seems certifiably insane.” Kurt held up his hands, and Sam watched as Quinn and Santana deflated a little, “No. I just made a friend who makes a very convincing ambassador.” 

“What, you were convinced on your ‘date’ with—” Finn started, and then clearly caught himself folding his arms. “You’re going to ruin both our lives.” 

“I’m going to live my life, Finn. I suggest you do the same.” Kurt huffed, and turned towards Mr. Shuester. “Would you like me to leave?”

“No, you’re fine Kurt,” Mr. Shuester put a hand on his shoulder. “Why don’t you take a seat?”

Sam watched Kurt move through the bleachers to take a seat behind Mike and Tina, who were having one of their silent conversations. Still they turned around to greet Kurt politely, even as Finn sulked back to his seat and Mr. Shuester started a conversation about adult contemporary music.

Whilst Mr. Shuester was in the midst of organising them to sing the song he had chose to exemplify the genre, Sam’s phone buzzed in his pocket. He slipped it out, and read the message; _Finn’s subtlety could use some work. I don’t know how long it’ll be before someone catches on about our time at Breadstix. I’ll follow your lead on if you want anyone to know?_

“You texting your girlfriend,” Santana asked, leaning over to glance at his phone. He quickly closed the screen, slipping the phone into his pocket, “correction, secret girlfriend.” 

“That’s for me to know,” He muttered, his eyes glancing across the room towards where Kurt was being placed between Rachel and Tina.

“And for me to find out,” Santana’s grin grew, “So, someone convinced Earing Magic Ken over there to join the Glee Club, huh?” 

“I guess so,” Sam shrugged, trying to give her nothing to focus on. She tended to get bored quickly.

“But I’m pretty sure you and me are the only ones who knew could sing,” she continued unabated, “and I know it wasn’t me...” 

Sam turned over the sheet music as though he might find something on the other side. Mr. Shuester started to actually start the singing, and that gave Sam enough time to look at Kurt again. He was definitely still showing off his disinterested, slightly frosty exterior, but when everyone was distracted, the mask slipped a little to reveal the hesitant look, and the tense shoulders. Sam watched as Kurt’s eyes left the sheet music and found him in the semi-circle, and some of the tension bled out of his shoulders. Sam gave him a small smile, and Kurt returned it immediately.

By the time Glee Club had come to an end, everyone clearly just wanted to escape ‘Adult Contemporary’. Sam collected his hoodie from his chair, and took one last glance around, catching sight of Kurt being caged in by Puck and Rachel.

He approached quietly, catching the tail end of the conversation; as Puck grinned at Kurt, “—sort him out. Don’t even worry about him.” 

“Honestly, we’re just glad to have a twelfth member,” Rachel added, “Now, if you can’t talk to Finn about anything to do with Glee Club, I am also one of the team captains, and if you need a male perspective, Noah here is—” 

“Hey,” Sam cut in, and Kurt let out a sigh of relief as he slipped in next to Kurt, “You in a rush to go home?” 

“A world of no,” Kurt rolled his eyes. “Why?” 

“Just wanted to know if you wanted to hang,” Sam smiled, offering his hand subtly. Kurt’s eyes darted to it for a moment, before snapping to Sam’s face as though he was expecting something. After half a beat, he smiled back, slipping his hand into Sam’s own. 

“Sounds wonderful,” He said softly, “I’m sorry Rachel, Puck, but it seems as though my afternoon is spoken for.”

“No worries,” Puck put a hand on Rachel’s shoulder and stepped them both out of the way even as Rachel’s eyes darted between them. “Like I said, Finn’ll come around. He’s got a good heart, underneath all the dumb, but if you need any help, let me know. You two love-birds be safe now. Evans.” He nodded sharply, and then turned Rachel around, walking her out of the room. 

“That... was not exactly subtle,” Kurt said lightly, but didn’t let go of Sam’s hand. “I take it this means we’re going to be public about the date?” 

“And the next one,” Sam grinned, before adding, “If you want a ‘next one’, I mean?” 

“I think that can be arranged.” Kurt grinned, and gave Sam’s hand a light squeeze. “Alright, let’s go and ‘hang’ then, Mr. Evans.”

“After you, Mr. Hummel.” 


End file.
